Breech-loading fire-arm



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No. 229,035. Patented June 22, I880.

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ssheets-flheet 2. W. R. FINOHL Breech-LoadingFire-Arm.

No. 229,035. Patentid'lune 22,1880.

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WQR. PINOHQ I Breech-Loading Fire-Arm. No. 229,035. Patented -.lune 22, I880.

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NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM R. FINOH, OF EUREKA, CALIFORNIA.

BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 229,035, dated June 22, 1880.

Application filed November 24, 1879.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM R. FINGH, of Eureka, county of Humboldt, and State of California, have invented an Improved Magazine Fire-Arm; and I hereby declare the following to'be a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to certain improvementsin the construction ofmagazine fire-arms of that class in which a vertically-moving breech-block is operated by a lever and serves as a carrier to transport the cartridge from the magazine to the rear open end of the barrel,

into which it is forced by mechanism for the purpose.

My invention consists in a novel construction and combination of a solid breech-block which is moved vertically in the frame at the rear of the barrel with a swinging arm by which the cartridge is forced into the barrel, 'so that the breech-block is allowed to move up and close the breech. The whole is operated by a single lever beneath the gun, and the same action cocks the gun and locks the breechblock when closed, so that it cannot be moved.

It further consists in certain details of construction, as hereinafter described and claimed.

Referring to the accompanying drawings for a more complete explanation of my invention, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the gun with the cap removed, showing the mechanism with the breech-block nearly closed. Fig. 2 is a side elevation, showing the breech-block thrown down. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section, showmg my invention in connection with a rear magazine.

A is the barrel of my gun, and B is the stock or breech. O is the frame, within which the breech-block D moves vertically, being actuated by the lever E, which may also'serve as a trigger'guard in the manner usual to levers which work in this way.

In the present case I have shown the magazine as situated in the stock or breech of the gun, and having its front end opening, so as to deliver a cartridge above the top of the breech-block D when the latter is depressed; but in practice I either place the magazine in the breech or extend it beneath the barrel of the gun in the manner shown in what is known asthe Henry or Winchester rifle. It will readily be seen that in either case a cartridge will be forced out from the magazine above the breech-block whenever the latter is drawn down so as to expose the opening into the magazine. An arm or finger, F, is hinged to the upper rear edge of the opening in which the breech-block travels, and a light spring, G, pressing upon the back of the lever, as shown, keeps its point pressed down, so that as the breech-block is drawn downward this finger follows it, and when the cartridge is forced out of the magazine upon the top of the breech-block it will be held in place by this finger, which will thus exert a light pressure upon the top of it. As the breech-block is forced upward the spring allows this finger to move up with it, still resting upon the cartridge and holding it in place until it has reached a point in line with the openinginto the barrel.

The cartridge is forced into the barrel by means of a lever-arm, H, which is pivoted in the breech-block, as shown at I, and has a short arm, J, similar to a bell-crank lever, which is connected by a link, K, with the operating-lever E. When the lever E is thrown down it first draws upon the short arm J of the lever H, and thus throws the lever back to the rear part of the breech-block opening. The lever E, continuing to act, will draw the breech-block down until it is below the mouth of the magazine.

If the magazine is at the rear the arm H must also pass below its mouth, so that the cartridge may pass over it and upon the top of the breech-block, which thus acts as a carrier.

1f themagazine is in front of the breech-block the cartridge enters from that direction. In either case it will have the end of the lever H behind it, and the finger F, which has followed the breech-block down, will rest upon the top of the cartridge and steady and hold it in place. When the lever E is brought back to its position to close the breech the arm H will press against the head of the cartridge, and as soon as the breech-block has arrived at a point which will bring the cartridge opposite the barrel the arm H will force it home, while the breech-block moves upward until its solid portion closes the rear end of the barrel mid brings the firing-pin in position to discharge the cartridge by the fall of the hammer.

A notch or socket, M, is made in the rear part of the breech-block, and a small lockingpin, N, in the rear of the opening in which the block moves is forced forward by a spring, so as to enter this socket, and thus firmly lock the block when it is closed. This pin is disengaged so as to free the block by the first backward movement of the arm H, which strikes the pin N and forces it back out of its socket.

The extractor 0, by which the discharged shells are ejected from the barrel, is pivoted at P and has a small lug, Q, at its lower end. This lug is acted upon by the shoulder R of the breech-block as it descends, which forces it forward and thus throws the upper end back with a positive action. A spring or arm, S, may act upon the extractor to complete the ejection of the shell after it is commenced.

The hammer is thrown back and the gun cocked by the action of a lever, T, which is pivoted at U in the frame between the breechblock and the tumbler W. The tumbler has a lug, V, projecting from it, and the rear end of the lever T has a point which engages with this lug. The front end of the lever T is actuated by lugs X upon the breech-block, between which it enters. When the breech-block is thrown down it draws the front end of the lever down and throws the rear end up, thus forcing the hammer back until the dog falls into the notch in the tumbler and holds it. When the breech-block is again thrown up it carries the lever with it and leaves the hammer free to fall when the trigger is pulled. The action of closing the breech-block is assisted at the beginning by the mainspring,

which acts, through the tumbler and the lever T, to raise the block, because in the act of throwing the block down the tumbler is forced back farther than is necessary to cock it. In addition to this a spring within the frame may act upon a bolt or pin, Y, for the same purpose.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The breech-block D, moving in the frame 0 and acting as a carrier, in combination with the lever H, pivoted to the breech-block and connected with the operating-lever E, said lever receiving the cartridge from the magazine and forcing it into the barrel, substantially as herein described.

2. The breech-block D, moving verticallyin the frame 0, the swinging pivoted lever H, and

the finger F, the whole combined and adapted to receive a cartridge from the magazine, carry it to the rear end of the barrel, and deliver it therein, substantially as herein described.

3. The vertically-moving breech-block D, acting as a carrierand adapted to close the rear opening of the barrel with a solid block, in combination with the spring-bolt N, fitted to enter the notch M and lock the breechblock, and levers H, J, K, and E,substantially as herein described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

WILLIAM ROSE FINUH.

Witnesses S. H. NoURsE, FRANK A. BROOKS. 

